Man served single banana on nine-hour flight after ordering gluten-free meal

A PASSENGER on a flight from Tokyo to Sydney was left stunned when his gluten-free breakfast arrived complete with cutlery, a napkin and salt.

Breakfast is served. Picture: Martin Pavelka.

YOU may want to think twice before getting fussy with meals on a plane.

Londoner Martin Pavelka was flying on an All Nippon Airways flight from Tokyo to Sydney late last month when he got a single banana marked “GF” after asking for a gluten-free meal, the Standard of the UK reported.

He even received a packet containing cutlery, a napkin and salt to go along with his meal on the second leg of a nine-hour, £1200 (AU$1700) trip.

Mr Pavelka, 32, has to avoid gluten because he suffers from coeliac disease.

“As a coeliac, I always order gluten-free meals on my flights. Sometimes they are bland, sometimes they are actually much better than the ordinary meal service,” he told the paper.

“On this flight, I was left literally speechless. One single banana arrived.

“All other passengers were served full breakfast meal consisting of eggs, sausage, mushrooms, bread, and yoghurt.

“This was a nine-hour flight. Although definitely gluten free, the banana did not keep me full for very long,” he said.

He said he got a larger meal the previous evening when the flight departed — but was stunned by his breakfast.

“When the stewardess came to me, she said, ‘We’ve got a special meal for you’ and I got the banana,” he said.

“I asked, ‘Is this a joke?’ She just said, ‘I’m really sorry, that’s the gluten-free meal.’”